Worcester, MA- In what has become a typical Saturday for the Worcester State Volleyball team (3-10, 0-0) the Lancers will take on two matches to make it a full day of activity. Worcester will begin their day versus SUNY Cobleskill at Western New England before taking on the hosts late rin the day for the double match day.
Final
Worcester State: 3
SUNY Cobleskill: 0
(25-13, 25-19, 25-21)
Final
Worcester State: 0
Western New England: 3
(22-25, 11-25, 20-25)
How it Happened:
Worcester State would start strong in their tri-match Saturday with an opening 3 sets to nil win over the SUNY-Cobleskill Tigers. The opening set would see Worcester in a back and forth battle with the Tigers before going on a 5 point run to break a 7-7 score that they would then build off of in large point gathering stretches to take the first set 25-13.
The second set would look to be a Lancer landslide but Cobleskill regrouped to claim a 13-9 lead before Worcester was able to refocus and begin to build back their points. The Lancers would grab six unanswered points to claim an 18-15 lead, but again the Tigers were not loosening their grip, bringing the game back to 18-18. Worcester would grab the reins though at 19-19 with another six point run to win the second set 25-19 behind the service of first year Alexia Mitchell (Pawling, NY).
The third set saw SUNY hunt for their first set win of the match, again keeping tight on Worcester, never giving more then two points of breathing room until Mitchell and junior Kate Stedronsky (Sea Girt, NJ) would again take over the service to get Worcester to 20-17. The match would continue to be a point for point battle before senior Angela Colonis (Waterford, CT) would send a killer strike that would result in a set error by the Tigers for the 25-21 third set victory.
First Year Katherine Crateau (North Andover, MA) would end the game with 21 digs while senior Megan Bardis (Sterling, MA) would end the match with 19 assists behind Colonis's nine kills.
In match two of the day, the Golden Bears would take a quick lead over the Lancers, jumping out to an early 5-0 point grab. Worcester would reclaim some ground tying up the match at seven apiece. Thie tight score would last through a majority of the set until WNE managed to pull away with a 23-17 lead. Worcester would not go down without a fight though, closing the match to just two points before the Golden Bears were able to bring the first match home.
The second set was tilted more in WNE's favor as they jumped out to an 17-9 lead before Worcester would attempt to mount a comeback with a service ace of Crateau. The Golden Bears though were primed for success taking possession from there and closing out the set with a 25-11 score.
Worcester would be better prepared in the third set though, keeping tight on Western New England as they looked to steal the third. Worcester would see the match tied 14-14, but a late surge by Western New England would push them to the sweep with a 25-20 victory over the Lancers.
Junior Cassidy D'Espisito (Milford, NY) would lead the Lancers with five kills, while Crateau would continue her dig dominance with 14 in the match.
What's Next:
The Lancers (4-11, 0-0) open up their conference schedule on Tuesday when they travel to Salem State for a 6pm serve with the Vikings.